Summer Reseach Fellow Spotlight Calisse Burand

"The purpose of my project is to investigate the lived experiences of racially, economically, and geographically diverse youth with LGBTQ+ parents through a series of questions surrounding how their lived experiences may be similar and/or dissimilar from their peers’ experiences, if they have any advice for other youth with LGBTQ+ parents, and their most significant experiences involving their parents’ identities."

Q: How did you first get interested in undergraduate research at UK?

A: "I had Dr. Kim in PSY 195 and she inspired me to get involved in undergraduate research!"

Q: How long have you been engaged in undergraduate research?

A: "Almost two years!"

Q: Describe what a typical day of remote summer research activity looks like for you. How does this differ from your pre-COVID research activity?

A: "I typically work at my desk, but I try to switch it up sometimes by working in different rooms in my house! I just finished my first draft of the codebook for my project, so, lately, I have spent most of my time coding! Before COVID, I would work in the lab space, but I am lucky in that most of my work was always done on a computer."

Q: What has been the most exciting aspect of your research so far?

A: "I am extremely excited to have completed a first draft of my codebook!"

Q: What advice would you give to other UK students thinking about doing research?

A: "I would recommend that they just take the plunge! It can be scary to get started but is totally worth it."

The UK Office of Undergraduate Research's Summer Research & Creativity Fellowship program provides undergraduates with the opportunity to study in a wide variety of disciplines while doing intensive and self-directed research under the supervision of a faculty mentor.